


The Twilight Bell

by Thea_Annette



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst with a Happy Ending, Based on a Poem, F/M, Protective Rey (Star Wars), Redeemed Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:09:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thea_Annette/pseuds/Thea_Annette
Summary: Ben has been working for the Resistance as a spy for the last year. Trouble is, now that the war is over, there is only one person who knew that he was the spy, and she is not about to let anyone execute him. Based on the poem “Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight” by Rose Hartwick Thorpe.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	The Twilight Bell

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on one of my favorite poems, “Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight” by Rose Hartwick Thorpe. (I may or may not be hoping that this story will cause you to be curious and read the poem) I was reading it recently and thought that what the main character did sounded like something Rey would do in her place. I have definitely been sitting on this one for about a month. Hope you enjoy!

“MONSTER!” came the shouts from the crowd. “EXECUTE HIM!”

The magistrate stood and pinned Ben with a deadly stare. “Kylo Ren, you have been charged with crimes of…”

“Wait. Please! Let me through! He is not who you think!” Rey cried desperately, but the people of Crait were paying her no attention.

The image of her beloved’s bruised and bloodied face as he was being dragged away from her was the only thing Rey could see. No one was listening to her pleas for his life. All these people knew was that he was once Kylo Ren and that he had helped Snoke rain terror down on the people for many years. No one knew that he had been a spy for the Resistance for the last year. No one knew that the most recent victory over the First Order was because Ben had completely rejected the persona of Kylo Ren and had turned on his former master. No one knew because no one was willing to listen.

She watched in horror as the people of the little mining town of Crait sentenced Ben to die by beheading when the curfew bell rang at twilight. _When the bell rang!_ If she could keep the sexton from ringing the bell then there might be a chance to save Ben!

Rey had received a missive that morning informing her that generals Poe Dameron and Finn Calrissian would be there by sunset. Rey just knew that they would hear her out. They would listen to what Ben had done. General Organa, Ben’s mother, was not around to advocate for him anymore, but Rey was sure that her friends would judge right. They had such influence over the people that they would be able to talk sense into them. Get them to listen to Rey as she explained what had happened.

With that thought firmly planted in her mind, Rey ran for the church. She didn’t have long to get to the sexton and convince him to delay ringing the bell. Old Ackbar was well known for his capability in ringing the bell. It could be heard for miles around, and it was always on time. But he was also known for being a compassionate and understanding soul. Perhaps if Rey could just get him to listen… She arrived at the church out of breath and just in time to catch Ackbar before he started walking toward the bell tower.

“Wait! Mr. Ackbar! Please wait!” She desperately cried as she ran into the church. He stopped and gave her his full attention. “Could you please delay ringing the bell? Just until the generals arrive? Please! They are going to kill the one I love!”

“No, my dear. I cannot do that.” The sexton replied gravely. “For forty-two years I have faithfully rung the old bell at sunset. I cannot miss tonight. Too many people depend on me. I am sorry for the heartache this causes you, but I must ring the bell or they may line me up with Ben.”

Every word the old sexton spoke felt like a knife to her heart. She fell down upon her knees sobbing and pleading, but still he would not relent. As suddenly as the tears began flowing, they dried up. Her hiccupping sobs abruptly ended as a solution bloomed in her mind while she watched his retreating back. With great conviction, she vehemently whispered, “The bell will not ring tonight.”

Quickly turning, she ran outside to the door that led into the old bell tower and began climbing the rickety ladder that went up to the large bell looming above her. She climbed as fast as she could while tripping over the hem of her dress. When she finally reached the uppermost landing, her sight was filled with the dying light of the sun. Before her hung the massive bell that would soon peal forth with death notes. Her face hardened into lines of determination as she repeated the line that had become a sacred vow to her: “The bell will not ring tonight.”

Gathering her courage, Rey stepped back and jumped. With deft hands, she reached out and grabbed hold of the clapper just as it began to swing. The force with which it was yanked sent the bell and Rey swinging far out. Her stomach roiled as she looked far below her and observed the whole town. With each hit of the clapper against the bell, she felt pain shoot through her hands and body. She watched as her blood started slowly dripping down her arms, but through the pain she had only one thought: _It will be worth it for the bell not to ring. It will save my Ben’s life_. The one mercy afforded the girl hanging precariously from the bell was that in old Ackbar’s great age, his hearing had dimmed to the point that he could no longer hear the bell’s ringing.

The good, old sexton down below put forth just as much effort into his ringing as always, all the while being ignorant of the young woman who was clinging to the bell for the life of her beloved. He cried as he pulled on the heavy rope never once questioning the extra weight that it bore that night, for his heart was heavy and broken for young Ben. His parents had been dear friends.

When it was finally all over and the bell had ceased to swing, Rey gingerly maneuvered back to the uppermost floor of the bell tower. As she sat wearily on the floor, she did not look at her bloodied hands and arms. She merely begged and pleaded with whatever force might listen that her act of love had saved Ben’s life. After she caught her breath, she hastily climbed back down the ladder and raced to the edge of town where she saw General Dameron, General Calrissian, and their men approaching.

As quickly as her wounded body would allow, she made her way through the streets of Crait to meet Poe and Finn. As soon as her friends saw her, they dismounted his horse and jogged her way.

“Rey. What has happened? You look terrible!” Finn turned sharply and commanded one of his men to find a nurse for her.

“Wait! Please. Our spy! They are going to kill him.” With that said, she launched into her story. She told him of how she met Ben and who Ben was - how he had taken her to Starkiller Castle and tried to get information out of her about the Resistance. They might not have been around one another long, but it was long enough for her to get a sense that something more was going on with him. Rey told them of her time at Ahch-To Monastery and how she and Ben had met many times while there. She spoke of how they had gotten to know one another. Above all of it, she relayed his innocence in the two situations that no one knew the truth about - in the deaths of the young knights that Luke Skywalker had been training and in the death of his own father. Snoke had set the blaze at the castle where the knights were training and had allowed Ben to think himself responsible effectively driving a wedge between the son and his family and people. As for his father, Ben had wounded him in a fight, but Snoke had later sent an assassin to finish the job once again allowing Ben to think himself the one responsible.

Lastly, she told them about what had happened in the last year. She told them how Ben had turned his back on Snoke, how he had been the Resistance’s spy, and how he had saved her life. When she finished her tale, she looked at Poe and Finn with pleading eyes. “Please! There must be something you can do!”

It was hard for Poe and Finn to accept what he had just heard. Kylo Ren had been Snoke’s right hand for the last seven years. He was personally responsible for so much death and destruction, but from what Rey had told them, Ben was completely different from the man he had been under Snoke’s regime. Time was not on Poe’s or Finn’s side to make this decision.

“Answer one question for me, Rey, before I make my decision. What happened to you? When you left camp yesterday, you were in perfect health. Why do you look like you have been beaten?” Poe’s concern was all but oozing out of him.

Rey offered her friends a tremulous smile before she soft spoke. “I kept the bell from ringing.”

It didn’t take them long to understand what she meant – to understand how much danger she had put her own life in. That was enough to tell them just how much Ben had changed and how much he meant to her. Rey was not one to do something so reckless for just anyone. Poe quickly called for writing utensils and parchment. As soon as he had it, he wrote the pardon for Ben that both he and Finn signed and gave to Rey. She smiled brightly at them before running to the village.

As she neared the village, she heard the men quarrelling over when the execution was to be carried out. It should have happened when the twilight bell sounded, but, for some reason, the bell never rang. They were quite frustrated at the turn of events, and the bloodlust was palpable in the air.

Rey hurried to the magistrate and anxiously handed him Ben’s pardon. He eyed her bloodied and bruised hands suspiciously until he saw the official seal of General Dameron and General Calrissian stamped on the bottom of the page. His eyes grew large with fright and his hands tremble as he stood from his chair and called for the constables to bring Ben to him.

When Ben was standing before him, the magistrate read the pardon and then gave Ben a hard stare. “I hope you realize how fortunate you are to have someone look after you like this. I can’t think of many who would stick their necks out for the likes of you. I must warn you though, that if you put one toe out of line anywhere near this town again, I don’t care who tries to rescue you, I will kill you myself.”

“Understood.” Ben breathed a sigh of relief as the shackles were removed from his hands and feet. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned away from the magistrate and the town’s people to go to Rey. He promptly wrapped her in his arms while they both cried. When he pulled away from her, he caught sight of her bruised and battered hands, and he began crying again as he gently held her arms in front of him so that he could see the extent of the damage. “What happened, sweetheart?”

Rey laughed a little at him even as she felt a great swell of love for this handsome idiot. “I saved you, dummy. That is how we won this war, remember? Not by destroying what we hate, but by saving what we love.”

With that said, she tugged Ben down into a soft kiss which he happily returned.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and Kudos are always welcome and appreciated! I have two other stories that I am working on. Both have about the same amount done. I plan to post the first chapter of whichever one I choose to do next as a preview sometime next week along with a schedule for when I would post the rest of it. 
> 
> The painting in the moodboard was actually illustrated for the poem, but I could not find the name of the person who did it. Sad day. Just know that it wasn't me.


End file.
